Side bearing



UNITED STA L ENI OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. omens, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIenoR T0 WILLIAM H. MINER, 0F

'. CHAZY, NEW YORK.

SIDE BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2 1, 1921.

' Application filed July 12, 1920. Serial No. 395,428.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM A. German, a citizen of the -United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvement in Side Bearings, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in side bearings. y

In the art of side bearings for railway cars, there are two general types designated broadly as the roller type or the rocker type. The rocker type possesses certain advantages over the roller type in that the rocking elements are self-centering under the action of gravity. The rocker type of bean ing however has certain limitations with respect to the permissible travel for the reason that the rocker can obviously be permitted to roll or rock only a certain distance in order to' insure its return to central normal position under the influence of gravity. It is desirable that unlimited travel be pro-- vided for in all side hearings to take care of special or unusual conditions which may arise in service. a

The object of my invention is therefore to provide aside bearing forrailway cars of the gravity self-centering rocker type and wherein unlimited travel is permitted;

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the end portions of a body and truck bolster showing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 22 of Fig. 1. 'And Fig. 3 is an endelevational view of the anti-friction element proper employed with my construction, the form shown in Fig. 3 differing slightly from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring first to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, 10 indicates the under side of a body bolster and 11 the upper side of a truck bolster. The improved bearing, asshown, is attached to the truck bolster and comprises, broadly, a base casting or retaining member A; a wear plate B; an anti-friction element proper C; and a retaining pin D.

The retaining member or base casting A,

as shown, is of substantially hollow rectangular box-like form and has spaced parallelv side walls 12- 12, end walls 13-13, 'bottom wall 14; and perforated flanges 15 by wh ch it is adapted to be riveted or otherwise rigidly secured in place. On its 1111361101, the retaining member A is provided at the bottom thereof with upstanding lugs or teeth 16 and at the ends is formed with flanges 17 17 curved on their edges as indicated at'18 to conform to the contour of the anti-friction element C and limit the rolling or rocking movement thereof. L

The wear plate B is preferably of hardened steel and consists ofv a section of flat sheet metal perforated as indicated at 19 to permit the plate being slipped over the lugsor teeth 16, the latter being of greater height than the thickness of the plate, as will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 1.

The improved anti-friction element proper (l, as shown, consists of a main section in the form of a casting 20 and a small roller 21. The main section 20 is curved on its bottom as indicated at 22 so as to provide a rolling bearing, the bottom 22 having formed therein. sockets 23 to cooperate with the teeth or lugs 16 to prevent shifting of the element C bodily with-respect to the retaining member A. .The sides 2424iof the .main section 20 are curved upwardly and converged, the upper part of 'thesection 20 being recessed as indicatediat 25 to. acc0mmodate the roller21. The roller 21. has a main central bearing section 26 which extends above the main section 20 of the element C. At its ends, the roller 21 is provided with trunnions 27-27 of reduceddiameter which are seated in corresponding bearings 28 at the ends of the-main section 20. In carrying out my invention, the prongs or tangs 29 of the main section 20 will bem'ade malleable so as to adapt them for bending, the original position of said tangs being indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 and the final position by the full lines. When the tangs 29 are bent to the full line position, it is evident that the roller limitation.

of, said opening 30 being of irregular form. The pin D is originally a. straight section of rod and is driven into the irregular opening 30 so as to cause deformation of the pin D as it is driven home. The pin D is inserted through either one of the openings 3l31 in the side walls of the retaining member A and it is evident that when said pin is fully driven home to the position shown most clearly in Fig. 2, it cannot be removed without the aid of special tools. The ends of the pin D are left projecting into the openings 31. Said openings 31 are upwardly curved as indicated in Fig. 1 so as to avoid interference when the element 0 is rolled or rocked to either side of normal position.

From the preceding description, considered in connection with the drawing, it is obvious that the roller 21 constitutes the upper active bearing surface of the antifriction element. During rolling or rocking movement of the element C from its normal position to either of its end positions, one of which is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l, the roller and main section 20 thereof willfunction substantially as a unit. When, however, the main section 20 has come into engagement with the end portions of the retaining member A, the roller 21 provides for continued travel or relative movement between the two bolsters to an unlimited extent. In this connection, it will be observed that the upper surface of the roller 21 when the element C is in its extreme end position, is above any part of the main section 20 so that the hearing will always remain upon the roller 21. It is obvious that the introduction of the roller 21 does not interfere with the gravity action of the element C in returning to its normal. position under the influence of gravity.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 3, the roller 121, instead of having integral end journals, is rotatably mounted on an axle 10 which has its ends supported in the main section 120 of the anti-friction 'element C. It is obvious that the action will be the same as with the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, hereinbefore described.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention but the same is merely by way of illustration and not by way of All changes and modifications are contemplated that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim: 1. In a side bearing of the character described, the combination with ahollow retaining member adapted to be secured to a bolster and provided with means at its ends to limit the movement of an anti-friction element, tLSSOCltItGCl therewith; of a gravity self-centering roller element cooperable with ment comprising a mainsection and a roller mounted on the main section, the surface of the roller being adapted to be presented to an opposed bolster bearing surface to thereby provide for unlimited travel.

3. In a side-bearing of the character de scribed, the combination with a hollowboxlike retaining member adapted to be secured to a bolster; of a gravity self-centering rolling anti-friction element disposed within said member, said element comprising a main section and a roller journaled on the main section, the surface of said roller being adapted to be presented to an opposed bolster bearing surface, the point of contact on said roller being always disposed outside of the main section of the anti-friction element.

4. In a side bearing of the character dc scribed, the combination with a hollow retaining member adapted to be secured to a truck bolster; of a rocker disposed within said retaining member and adapted to be limited in its bodily movements by said retaining member, said rocker being se-lf-cen tering under the influence of gravity, said rocker comprising a lower main portion and a roller journaled in the upper portion thereof, said roller being arranged to con tact with a body bolster bearing surface; and means for retaining said rocker in place in the retaining member.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 17th WVitness CARRIE GAILING. 

